Guide:

When

Where

Start: Pasticceria Gelateria,

.........................Preston at Larch

End: St Anthony's Church, corner

......................... of Gladstone & Booth

Area: Little Italy

Distance: 2.0 km

Accessibility:

There are stairs at the entrance to the church on Booth St, but there is a wheelchair entrance from the parking lot at the back of the church. You can access the parking lot from Lebreton St. The driveway is to the right of No. 178.

Other than at the church, we will follow city sidewalks and paved walkways.

Little Italy and St Anthony's Church

Description

This walk through Little Italy will illustrate the evolution and renewal of cities, the importance of design and architecture in defining neighbourhood identity, and their influence in creating inspiring and viable spaces. Luciano will consider how the City of Florence was planned and built and compare it with how we build our cities today. As we walk, we will reflect on Phil Jenkins' book, An Acre of Time, and about decisions North Americans consistently make in planning and building our “wind tunnel" cities. Our choices regarding architecture and building sites show that we do not learn from history. In Scandinavia (northern countries similar to Canada), they respect people's access to sunlight. We don't always do that here in Ottawa.

When we come to St Anthony's, we will leave the hustle and bustle of Preston St. and come into a different world. The frescoes and stained glass windows by Guido Nincheri define the interior of the church. This beautiful Renaissance Art has the power to transport us to Florence, where people live such art on a daily basis. Luciano will talk about how art was an intrinsic aspect of Florence how it continues to influence the way people live in that city. He will consider the challenges of creating artful infrastructure, through Brunelleschi's construction of the dome on the cathedral in Florence (La cupola del Duomo di Firenze), built more than 600 years ago, and the forces that seem to prevent us from creating art and architecture for the ages in our own time.

If you come along on this walk, be ready for some surprises!

Photo: Stained glass window at St. Anthony's Church, designed by Guido Nincheri.

Find out more about St. Anthony's Church and its role in the community here.

Route

We will meet in front of the Pasticceria Gelateria at 200 Preston St (at the corner of Larch St.). We will walk down Preston St toward Carling, and then double back to Gladstone and walk east to St. Anthony's Church at 427 Booth St., Ottawa (SE corner of Booth & Gladstone).

There are steps up to the entrance of the Pasticceria Gelateria. We won't be going into the shop on the walk, but you may want to stop in for espresso and biscotti before the walk begins.

About

Luciano immigrated to Ottawa from Italy in 1966, and has been an active member of the Italian community in Ottawa ever since. He is well-known as a walking-tour guide for Little Italy. He is a long-time editor of Il Postino, the newspaper of the local Italian community. Luciano is proud of the contribution that the Italian community has made to the quality of life in Ottawa.

During the winter months, Luciano is the one and only, very appreciated “Chestnut Roaster Guy” in Ottawa's Byward Market. In December 2013, he published a book on his experiences selling chestnuts, entitled Chronicles of an Ottawa Chestnut Lover.

Luciano is passionate about the ideas and advice of Jane Jacobs, and is an enthusiastic supporter of Jane's Walk. He has been a walk leader for Jane's Walk Ottawa since it began in 2008.